The Toronto Blue Jays are currently experiencing a situation similar to the Simpsons episode where Milhouse meets another version of himself and feels shocked, saying, “So this is what it feels like when doves cry.” The Blue Jays are on a nine-game road trip out West before the all-star break and started the middle leg with a disappointing 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. Alongside the Seattle Mariners and upcoming opponents like the Arizona Diamondbacks, they are all struggling despite believing they are capable of better performances this season.
All of them can also look at one another and know what it feels like when doves cry.
The Toronto Blue Jays are currently facing a challenging stretch on their nine-game road trip out West, highlighted by a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants. This loss mirrors their season alongside teams like the Seattle Mariners and upcoming opponent Arizona Diamondbacks, all struggling despite high expectations. The Mariners, unlike the others, lead the AL West due to the Houston Astros’ early struggles, while the rest battle through the middle of their respective leagues. The Blue Jays, with a record of 41-50, were close to a three-game win streak but fell short in a game where Yusei Kikuchi impressed with 13 strikeouts over 7.1 innings. Manager John Schneider noted the tough breaks in the game, reflecting on missed opportunities.
Richards was handling the ninth with Chad Green, the closer in the ongoing absences of Jordan Romano and Yimi Garcia, unavailable after throwing 49 pitches in outings Saturday and Sunday in Seattle, and he probably deserved a better fate.
Kikuchi also performed well, outlasting Blake Snell, who had just returned from the injured list and pitched five shutout innings, allowing only one hit and three walks before the Giants’ bullpen took over. Kikuchi gave up solo home runs to Heliot Ramos in the fourth inning and Tyler Fitzgerald in the eighth, continuing a streak of strong outings following a rough June where he struggled with a 6.26 ERA across six starts. He believes he began to turn things around on June 28 against the Yankees, despite allowing four runs in five innings, where he struck out seven. He attributed his previous struggles in June to focusing too much on throwing strikes, resulting in his fastball being too often in the middle of the strike zone. Since then, he has concentrated on executing all his pitches effectively, adjusting the location of his fastball whether he throws it high or low, which has significantly improved his performance.
Earlier, Chapman was honored with the Gold Glove he had earned the previous year, and facing the Blue Jays again served as a reminder of the paths not taken during the offseason.
